Double glazing and uPVc door multi-point locks tend to be susceptible to jamming if their maintenance is ignored or the weather prevents the door mechanism from working properly. Well, if this is the case in your home, there is no need to fret as there a couple of ways to solve the problem.

Doors that fall on the cheaper side normally have locks with rollers that slide up and down into keeps when the door handle is lifted. Such doors can be easily unjammed using a door spreader or a large flat steel bar. The lock rollers easily pop out of the keeps which unjam the door by exerting a spreading force. However, this is considered to be a flaw in traditional uPVC doors as burglars or thieves can easily open them.

On the other hand, the modern and relatively expensive doors usually feature hook and deadbolt multi-point locks, which call for a little more skill to unjam. The first step is to spread the door gap carefully and hold it with wooden wedges to avoid damaging the frame. Once you have identified the location of the deadbolts, you can retract them by forcing the inwards with a strong bent tool or a sturdy screwdriver. Whole doing this, ensure that the door key is turned into the unlock position before you can force the hooks back into position. That is because the key’s position is the secondary locking feature and it won’t allow the deadbolts to retract. Once you have opened the door, you can now identify the root of the jamming issue. In most cases, it’s usually as a result of a failed gearbox.

The gearbox contains sophisticated cast parts that are susceptible to shearing and shattering when the uPVC door is stiff when being locked. On most multipoint locks, it is possible to replace the gearboxes, but some riveted and welded versions like the Millenco will call for a locking strip.

Well, the price of a new gearbox can be anywhere from £10 and £50. The locking strips, on the other hand, tend to be more expensive as they range between £30 and £150 depending on the type and the model of the lock. The Millenco lock, for instance, has two discrete spindle gears. If your door uses one hole, then it is possible to dismantle the gearbox, move over the sheared one for the problematic gear and reassemble it for an easy fix. This easily saves you a significant amount of money for a new strip. In fact, it is a secret that many locksmiths would reveal easily.

Even after repairing the problematic lock, you might discover that the door still jammed or rather stiff when locking. Well, that could probably be the reason why the door failed in the first place, and that calls for a comprehensive inspection before using the door again. In most cases, adjusting the top hinge by winding the screw a couple of times to pull the door up and inwards solves the issue.

After fixing the uPVC door, take care not to force the handle up when locking it. Even if it does not work smoothly, you will only be exerting an unnecessary force that will just break it again.

I hope that this brief post has educated you and can be used when it comes to unjamming your uPVC door. However, if you feel that the repair work is too much for you, or you don’t have the necessary tools for the job, you can always call in a professional locksmith and have the lock changed.